


Memories

by ivyinthedark



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Canon Non-Binary Character, Child Abuse, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, Chubby OC, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Death, Mutual Pining, Non-binary Haruhi, Normal Host Club Shenanigans, mature content, plus size, slight slow burn, trigger warning: ed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:02:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25536271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivyinthedark/pseuds/ivyinthedark
Summary: Aiko Yamaguchi, 3rd year at the top of her class, has one goal and that is to get the hell out. Out of high school, out of her abusive father's grasp, out of her own being if she has to. Anything she can do to be successful in life, to not have to rely on anyone, to be completely independent. But is that enough? To just become successful without even enjoying the life she has been graced with? She might have ignorantly thought that before, but throughout the rest of her time at Ouran Academy, she finds a different outlook on life with the help of her friends.(I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, its characters, or any of the music mentioned)*ON HAITUS & MAJOR EDITING PROCESS*
Relationships: Fujioka Haruhi/Suoh Tamaki, Morinozuka Takashi/Original Female Character(s), Ootori Kyouya/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. Ribs

**Author's Note:**

> This dream isn't feeling sweet  
> We're reeling through the midnight streets  
> And I've never felt more alone  
> It feels so scary growing old  
> \- Ribs, Lorde

I tapped my pencil impatiently through my teacher’s droning voice, this class could not end faster! The entire time he’s gone over the syllabus and class expectations, just like every other teacher all day. I couldn’t stop thinking about how messed up today has been, I slept through my alarm, got scheduled for a shift right after school last minute, and to top it all off, almost ran out of gas on my way to school. I hope I have enough to at least get to a gas station later. Thankfully though, the teacher let us have the next half hour to ourselves for independent study. I pulled out my planner, writing down all assignments that will be due tomorrow, and making a to-do list for my evening after school and work. I try to plan out everything to have some sense of control in my busy days, but despite all my plans,  _ something  _ always goes wrong. And everything that could potentially go wrong started to race in my mind, I could get stuck in traffic or worse, run out of gas and be stuck on the side of the road. By the time there were ten minutes left, I felt my stomach start to churn and started to fidget with my necklace carefully. Five minutes, I started to pack away my stuff quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone and pulled out my phone, texting my manager that I might be a few minutes late because I had to stop and get gas. It felt like my heart was in time with the clock at this point, I already had a map in my head of all the hallways I needed to go down to get to the parking lot as fast as possible. 

Three… Two… One, the bell rang out like a gong, I snatched up my bag and bolted for the door. Running along the corridors the best I could in this puff pastry of a dress and without running into anyone, I checked my watch while rounding the corner, not seeing the small, blonde hair boy running the same way. We ran smack into each other, sending me tumbling to the floor. My heart pounded in my ears as I heard my books sprawl out of the bag and out of sight. I couldn’t even think straight, I wanted to yell at whoever I ran into to watch where they were going, but if I hadn’t been looking at the time I probably could’ve avoided this whole mess. Wait, what time  _ is  _ it? I looked at my watch and gasped, leaning over to grab my bag to not see it at all. Where did it go? I stood up quickly and felt my heart sink, which shouldn’t even be possible because it was already in my stomach from the fall. I looked over to see that I ran into Takashi Morinozuka, who looked like he just got hit by a train. I quickly tried to compose myself, patting down my dress before walking over to him as gracefully as I could, trying to make it seem like I wasn’t as much of a mess as I was. I bowed politely to him, trying to stay calm, “Morinozuka, I am so so sorry! I was in such a rush, I wasn’t watching where I was going, I’m sorry.” I stood up straight and felt my breath get caught in my throat from his expression, it was completely unreadable. “Please excuse me,” I turned around quickly to pick up my stuff. My voice caught me off guard, it was so mousy, it didn’t even sound like me! I leaned down and got a few books before turning around to get the rest, but that’s not what I saw; Instead, he had picked up the rest and already placed them in my bag. I stood up and stared at his hand, not evening daring to look up at his face, completely shocked at his gesture. I thought he hated me… 

I took the bag from his hand and looked at the floor, I still couldn’t look at him, but whispered a quiet ‘thank you’. “Takashi!!!” He still looked down at me as Mitsukuni jumped on his shoulders. I didn’t need to look up to recognize his voice, it was engraved in my memories. I heard him gasp, “Is that you, Ai-chan?” He sounded so happy. 

I finally willed myself to look up at them, “Yeah, it’s me, Haninozuka.” I said through a forced smile. I didn’t know what to say, I mean, what else was I supposed to say? 

He jumped down and hugged me around my waist all in one motion, I tensed and patted his shoulder before he pulled away. “We missed you so much, Ai-chan!” He started up at me with those huge brown eyes. They look just like Oliver’s.

“I’ve missed you too,” Pulling him back into a hug, genuinely meaning what I said, “I’d love to catch up, but I’m afraid I really have to go right now, I’m sorry.” I let him go and started to run down the hall, trying to keep my tears in. It’s been so long since I’ve talked to them, we’ve had classes together over the years, but we haven’t interacted since middle school. 

3RD POV

They watched her run down the hall, not saying anything until she was out of sight before walking to the Music Room when Mitsukuni broke down in tears, grabbing onto his cousin’s arm, “Do you think she’s okay? It’s been so many years…” He trailed off as Takashi leaned down to console him, feeling miserable himself. How could he be so stupid in front of her? He should’ve hugged her or said how much he missed her, or just say something at least! But no, he stared at her and probably made her feel worse than she was already feeling. After Mitsukuni calmed down, he got on Takashi’s shoulders, “When we see her tomorrow, we should invite her to see us at the Host Club.” Did she even notice that they were in almost all the same classes? 

He simply nodded in agreement, he still didn’t feel right, it felt like a weight was being pushed down on his whole body. His cousin patted his head, Mitsukuni knew how he felt towards Aiko, he knew through all these years his feelings for her never changed. 

AIKO’S POV

I got to my car in record time, jumping in and buckling up before trying to start the ignition. It kept cranking, but wouldn’t start. I groaned loudly, “Oh come on, come on, come on! You’ve got to be kidding me... Please start for the love of all that is good and holy. I know you can do it so please do it!”  _ As if this stupid piece of crap would actually listen to me _ , I thought to myself before banging my head down on the steering wheel, letting the horn ring out for a second. I sat up, snapping my hair tie against my wrist, and grumbling to myself before getting out of the car and slamming the door as hard as I could. I pulled out my phone and dialed the restaurant’s number, the manager picking up almost immediately. “Hey, Cara! It’s Aiko, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to make my shift tonight.. my car won’t start and I’m stuck at school,” I put on my best happy voice while talking to her about the situation. Taking a deep breath when she started laughing over the phone and telling me it was okay, she could cover my shift. “Thank you so much, I promise I will make it up to you this weekend!” We exchanged a few more words before I hung up and started to look around, wondering what I should do now. I looked up and saw a bunch of boys staring at me through a window and felt myself start to blush from the embarrassment. But when I saw Takashi and Mitsukuni, I felt all the blood drain from my face. Did they see all of that? I took a couple of deep breaths before waving, trying to make the situation seem okay which would hopefully make them stop staring at me. There were times where I was self-conscious about my body, it was hard not to when every other girl in school was smaller than me, but never felt worse than seeing them all stare at me for god knows how long. 

Mitsukuni opened up the window and leaned out, “Ai-chan, is everything okay!?”

I nodded my head, still trying to calm myself down, but sadly, intrusive thoughts still came through. 

“Come to Music Room number three!” He shouted before shutting the window and walking away with the rest of the boys, not giving me time to decline his offer. 

I sighed and shook my head to myself, _I should just call a cab and leave, I have no reason to stay…_ I tried to rationalize with myself, but Mitsukuni’s face popped up and with his, Oliver’s It’s weird how much his eyes looked like his. I tried to push him from my mind, heading towards the music room, _I still don’t know why I’m going. I don’t owe them anything._ I was so lost in thought, I hadn’t realized I was almost there. I stopped dead in the hallway, _What in the fresh hell am I doing? They ignored me for five years! We were all so close and then all of the sudden, they acted like I fell off the face of the Earth. After all the summer’s spent together, the study dates when we got back into school, did they all mean nothing? When we got into middle school I even worked up the courage to tell him I liked him, and he liked me back too!… But that was before the accident. They stood by me at the funeral and held my hands. After that though?_ “They abandoned me.” I grabbed my necklace gently before spotting a bathroom and quickly running in, splashing some water on my face and looking at my reflection. _Why did he look so angry? What did I do to them hate me so much?_ I smiled at myself before pulling out some makeup to do a small touch up, “You’re going to be okay, you’ll only be there for a little while, then you’ll leave and never have to speak to them again.”I straightened my posture before walking out, still not fully convinced this was a good idea. _I feel like any second now I’m going to puke… this has to be some kind of sick joke, when I walk in they’re probably all going to laugh at me or throw a bucket of water on me._ Walking up to the double doors, I felt impossibly worse but tried to slow my breathing, “Well, here goes nothing.” 

Pushing open the doors, white light surrounded me as rose petals flew around me, I blinked trying to clear my vision before walking in, only to be pulled in by my hands. _Here we go, I should’ve just yelled up to Mitsukuni that I couldn’t come._ “Welcome, to the Ouran Academy Host Club.” A tall blond boy held one of my hands and gestured to the other young men, including Mitsukuni and Takashi, standing to greet her. _Oh no, not them..._ I’ve heard of them, they drive the girl insane, it’s awful that this is all a big joke to them when the girls are catching feelings. I tried to keep my face neutral despite my stomach twisting when he leaned down to kiss it, _I hate this, they’re all staring at me._ He winked at me and gave me the most genuine smile I’ve seen in a while, “I’m Tamaki Suoh, the Princely Type, what’s your name, princess?” 

I smiled politely, trying to keep myself composed, “I’m Aiko Yamaguchi, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Tamaki,” I backed up some as the two twins came up to me before smirking and snickering. 

“Now we know why Mori-senpai likes you so much.”They both slipped an arm around my waist in one swift motion. I felt my face burn red in anger and tried to get out of their grasp.  _ I should’ve never fucking came here.  _

“Yeah, you’re so cute! It’s like we could just eat you u-” Morinozuka appeared in front of us in a millisecond, peering over them with a look in his eyes before snatching them away by the back of their jackets. They both laughed and held up their hands innocently, “It was just-” 

“-A joke senpai,” They laughed nervously, “C-could you please let us down now?” To which he dropped them flat down. I ducked underneath them as he was holding them up, walking over to Mitsukuni, who looked so gloomy in comparison to his bubbly mood earlier.

“Are you alright?” I leaned down and patted his head, I’ll always have such a soft spot in my heart for him. 

He looked up at me with tears in his eyes before wailing and wrapping his arms around my waist, “I’m so sorry, Ai-chan!” He sobbed against my dress as I hugged him, rubbing circles on his back, tearing up myself.  _ What is he sorry for…?  _

“There’s no need to apologize, Mitsukuni.” We stood with eyes burning against for what felt like forever, but was probably only a few minutes, “Now dry your tears, there is nothing to be sorry for.” I crouched down to his size and pulled out a small packet of tissues, handing him a few. I rubbed his shoulder and let him compose himself, before standing and walking over to his cousin, “Can I talk to you for a minute in private?” I looked at him head-on before opening up the doors again and walking out, enough is enough. 

He walked through behind me, shutting the door quietly and turn to look at me with that same look on his face from earlier. 

“I don’t know what game you think this is, or if you two are only doing all this to prank me, but I will not stand here and let you two make a fool out of me. I don’t know what your goal was with all this. To get a rise out of me, to have a good laugh at the girl who fell for the tricks of the Host Club. I refuse to entertain this, whatever this is. Maybe you could’ve gotten away with it when we were younger, but I’m not some stupid girl anymore. Now, if you’ll please excuse me.” I turned around on my heel and started to walk away with my head held high, feeling proud of myself for standing up for myself, but my heaving chest and tears threatening to spill were making me feel ten times worse than I already was. 

“Wait,” He grabbed my hand and whipped me around and smashed his lips against mine, staring dead at me with the same stupid fucking look.

I pushed him off immediately and felt my hand burn against his face, “What the  _ hell  _ is wrong with you? You can’t just kiss me after you ignored me for five fucking years.” I turned around and started running, letting the tears fall freely down my face while fiddling with my necklace. I don’t even know where I was going, it’s not like I could drive away. I kept running though, through all the corridors and halls until I, yet again, ran smack into someone sending us both to the floor. I looked at him, he was a boy with shaggy brown hair not wearing a uniform. I stood up quickly and apologized, going down the stairs he just came up from. Once I got to the bottom, I stopped and took a second to breathe before calling my last option since I didn’t have any money to order a cab. 

I was sitting down on the steps of the entrance of the school, my face in my hands when I heard the family limo pull up. I stood, trying to calm down and put on a smile when I slid into the car. “What is so important you had me rerouted to come to get you?” My father was sitting in the back, looking heavily annoyed. 

“I’m sorry, father, my car ran out of gas and I had no way to get home. I wasn’t aware you were out right now.” I bowed my head respectfully, lying through my teeth. I knew he was in here by the way the driver acted when I called him to come to get me. It was common knowledge between me and the people we had for help around the house, we had code words and secret ways to signal each other if he was around. “I won’t let it happen again.”

He didn’t reply, simply looking at me and sighing. It was a quiet drive home until I got out of the car, “I expect you to take care of that car, if you cannot, it will be taken care of.” 

“Yes, sir.” I shut the door and watched the limo pull away before sighing, walking down the slight hill to my entrance. I walked in and took off my shoes, putting everything away in its proper place before changing into some comfier clothes, taking off my necklace carefully, and placing it on my mother and Oliver’s shrine. I sat down in front of it and poured some water for them both before spewing about my day and everything that happened. I got back up and flopped on my bed, letting out a scream into my pillow. “Stupid fucking Takashi, if he thinks he can make a fool of me he’s picked the wrong girl!” I sat up and went to grab my homework, “I am not some stupid girl if he and Mitsukuni-” I stopped myself short, Mitsukuni doesn’t have a hurtful bone in his body, but his cousin? Debatable. I got up and paced around my room before grabbing my homework and settling down on my bed, turning on some music and getting started, determined to not think about today anymore. 

I finished up rather quickly, putting everything back into my bag and locking the doors before getting in bed. I’m not sure when my thoughts started to turn into dreams, but I’m sure it wasn’t too long after I laid down. 

I woke up with a start,  _ what time is it?  _ I rolled over and looked at my phone,  _ 5:36… it should be illegal to be awake this early. _ I sat up and rubbed my cheeks, debating with myself if I could afford to get some more rest before deciding to just get out of bed. Wobbling to the bathroom for a shower, I took it as cold as I could to try to wake myself up more. It didn’t take me too long to get ready for the day, just had to apply some makeup and put my hair up into my signature bun… and put on that horrid yellow monstrosity of a dress. Making sure my wallet was in my bag I headed out, walking over to the old bike I hadn’t used since I bought that piece of crap car. I sighed and went back in, changing into some jeans and a simple t-shirt, folding my dress neatly and putting it in my bag before walking back out. Grabbing my bike, I trudged up the small hill and got on, finding it rather difficult to ride it with my bag being as full as it was with my uniform in it. I biked past a few houses before stopping at the entrance of the neighborhood, trying to adjust my bag when I heard a car pull up next to me. I sat down on the seat, ready to pedal, and grabbed my keys just in case someone came out, but to my surprise, they rolled down their window. 

“Ai-chan!! Good morning!” Mitsukuni’s voice rang out loudly with a large smile

I put my finger up to my lip, trying to get him to quiet down, “Good morning, Mistkuni, please try to stay quiet, it’s still dark out and you don’t want to wake anyone.” I smiled at him gently before getting reading to head off, “I’ll see you at school.”

“Wait, you’re riding your bike to school? Why don’t you just ride with us? Takashi, can you go help her put the bike in the trunk?” My stomach dropped as I saw him get out of the other side of the car, shaking my head. 

“Oh, I couldn’t impose, it’s really no big deal, I’ll see you two later!” I looked forward, about to start pedaling when you felt Takashi’s hand on my shoulder. 

“You’re not imposing, silly!! We’re going to the same place so it only makes sense.” I sighed and got up, allowing Takashi to take my bike and put it in the trunk of the large SUV. I walked over to the door about to open it when his hand reached in front of me, opening it and waiting until I got settled in to shut it. 

“Thank you both for allowing me to join you on the way to school,” I smiled politely before giggling at Mitsukuni, who was yawning, his head bobbing back and forth. “Why not get some rest, you two left early to get to school, hm?” He nodded before laying down, resting his head on my lap with his feet on Takashi’s. I tensed, never in my wildest dreams could I imagine myself in this situation right now. Gently placing my hand on his head, I began to stroke his hair softly before looking over at his cousin, who was already staring at me. 

I looked at his cheek and frowned, I must’ve hit him pretty hard, it created a mark…  _ No, don’t feel bad, he had no right to do what he did yesterday.  _ “I’m sorry… about yesterday. I shouldn’t have slapped you like I did or make a big scene with Mitsukuni. In fact, I shouldn’t even have come to the club.” I searched his face, looking for something, anything at this point, but he just stared at me unfaltering. I turned my head to look down at Mitsukuni, “Never mind, please forget I ever said anything.”  _ Why am I so stupid?! I should’ve just stayed quiet, better yet I should have sped off when they pulled over, I should have never even said goo-  _

I felt my breath hitch, he placed his hand on top of mine and squeezed it for a moment, “No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything,” I felt my eyes get glossy when I heard his voice, it was so different. I couldn’t look up, I couldn’t force myself to see his face because if I do, I know I’ll turn into a sobbing mess. “We stopped talking to you and we saw how you struggled, but did nothing. I’m so sorry,” I felt the tears start to stream down my face, “ _ I  _ stopped talking to you, despite everything we had said to each other that summer.” It felt like I was suffocating, drowning, and there was nothing I could do but sit there and cry quietly. I stopped stroking Mitsukuni’s hair and started to fidget with my necklace, rubbing the pad of my thumb on the engravings. He put his arm around my shoulder and gently pushed me to lay my head against his. He placed his cheek on top of my head and I could feel his hot tears drip down onto me. 

We both sat there, quietly crying until we got closer to some shops and gas stations. I managed to pull myself together, moving away from him, “I’m sorry to ask, but can we stop at a gas station for a moment, I just need to get one thing, it’ll only take a minute?” He nodded to the driver who pulled over. “Mitsukuni, wake up for a minute please,” I started to rub circles on his back, “Can you please move so I can go in and buy some gas, I promise I’ll be right back and you can go back to sleep.” He moved slowly, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t even really awake when he did so, but he moved to lean against Takashi. 

Getting out and shutting the door gently, I sped walked in, finding what I needed immediately and grabbing a few things on the way to the register. I thanked the cashier once everything was paid for and walked back to the car, getting in just as quiet as I left. As soon as I sat down, Mitsukuni was right back where he was before. I laughed softly and pulled out two cold coffees, “I wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I just got you the same thing I drink,” I looked over at Takashi, who for once, looked shocked as I handed him the drink. “I also got you and

Mitsukuni a muffin, does he still enjoy strawberry? I just got two of those if that’s okay.” I handed one to him to which he nodded but continued to stare at you. “Is something the matter?” 

“Where’s yours?” He still kept staring at me intently and I could feel myself shrivel under his eyes. 

“Don’t worry, I ate this morning before I left.” This answer seemed to be okay for him as he started to unwrap his breakfast before abruptly stopping when I started to wipe away the remainder of my makeup with some wipes I just bought. I looked over at him when he stopped, “Oh come now, I’m not all that ugly without makeup.” I laughed at my little joke, knowing it wasn’t all true.  _ I have a pretty face, but it didn’t seem to match my body. Everyone always told you how pretty I was while simultaneously telling me how much prettier I’d be if I was the ‘right-size’.  _ I was shaken from my thoughts when he softly grabbed my chin, turning my face more to the side to look at my jaw. 

“What is that?” He looked at you with hard eyes, his voice stern. 

“It’s just an old scar,” I tried to push his hand away, but to no avail so you continued, “One day I fell while biking and got really bad road burn, that’s all.” I pulled my face away and looked down, just hoping he’d believe you. I don’t need him to get involved with my problems. “Hey, how come you guys were out so early this morning anyway?” I tried to change the subject, looking up at him. He has the most handsome eyes, they appeared much smaller now compared to when we were kids. Right now, feels like the first time I’ve truly looked at him.  _ When did he get so tall? He honestly doesn’t even look all that different, but he’s so handsome. He matured over the years.  _ I heard his voice but didn’t quite hear what he said. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that… I was a little lost in thought.”

He smiled, “You were staring.” I felt my face flush completely and looked down twiddling with my fingers. He draped his arm around my shoulders again, “We have to get here early today to set up the Host Club for an event.” 

“I see, do you like being in there, having girls fawn over you?” I looked back up at him, my face still hot.  _ I must’ve lost my mind… the goal was to get out of the car and never talk to them again, but here you are acting a damn fool in front of him.  _

“I like being there because it’s fun, the girls don’t interest me all that much,” He shook his head but never stopped looking at me. 

“Does it not bother you that most of the girls are trying to win your affection? I don’t see the appeal of going to a club where you get fawned over someone who doesn’t truly love you.” I leaned back into my seat, turning my head to look out the window. 

“Why don’t you come to the club and judge it first hand rather than based on what you’ve heard?” My eyes widened, he’s right, I shouldn’t be judging them so harshly without know what really happens there. “Besides, there is only one girl’s affection I’m after.”

I whipped around to look at him, shocked to see him smiling, I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as my stomach started to feel like it was in knots, ”Takashi, please don’t do this. We haven’t talked for years and I really can’t be distracted. I can’t come to your club today, I’ve got to work after school.” I turned my head to look out the window, seeing the school start to come into view. The rest of the car ride was quiet,  _ I can’t believe I let myself let things get this far. The guy ignored you for five years, Aiko! You can’t just fall into his arms like putty.  _ I felt my head start to ache, I wish I would’ve gotten some food now, but the coffee will just have to pull me over until later. 

As the car pulled up the building, Takashi started to wake up his cousin, making him sit up. I handed him the strawberry muffin and opened up the door, “Thank you again for the ride.” I nodded my head to them and at the driver as well, walking off before they could even get out. Walking around the side, I saw my car in the parking lot and took a deep breath,  _ Thank god it didn’t get impounded _ . I pulled the gas out of my bag and started to fill her up, pulling out the dress as well so I could go into one of the restrooms and change. I reapplied some makeup to hide my unruly freckles and scar and headed to my first class of the day. 

Another boring day, except now, I couldn’t help but notice something new today I hadn’t yesterday. Mitsukuni and Takashi were in more than half of my classes!  _ This truly is some bs. Everything is so awkward now because of every stupid thing I did yesterday. Well, at least I cleared some things up and now I won’t have to deal with it anymore. How did I not notice them before? Have we had other classes before and I just never noticed? I guess it doesn’t matter anymore, we aren’t going to see each other and I can continue focusing on school.  _

I looked up at the clock, already packed up, and walked over to the teacher, “May I please be excused these last few minutes? I have to get across town for work.” He didn’t even look up but nodded his head, I thanked him and was on my way. The entire drive there was quiet, I still couldn’t get over what happened.  _ Why did he kiss me?  _

My shift went by rather fast, I didn’t have anyone give me a hard time and got pretty good tips. Working at a high end has a lot of pros, usually, the people that come in are all high class and act a certain way, and they all give amazing tips! Though the cons make it almost not worth it; The uniform is meant to please some of the older men who come in, the entire uniform is all black like traditional waitresses, but consists of an a-line dress, stockings, and pumps. It was a cute dress and looked nice on the other servers, but on me, it hugged my torso in all the wrong places. It made working here really stressful, being the only chubby waitress here. 

“Hey, Aiko, you have a table waiting for you at the back of section three,” Cara came in as I was preparing drinks for another table that had just arrived.

“Alright, thank you for letting me know. It picked up here didn’t it? We both laughed before heading our separate ways, a tray in my hands. I set it down at a table with some older men, “Here are your drinks, sirs! Are you all ready to order?” I took out my notebook and pen and started writing down their orders, “Alright, I’ll be back with your orders shortly.” I smiled and turned to go to the next table, but as soon I looked over, I caught their eyes.  _ The fucking Host Club? You’ve got to be kidding me...  _ I whipped around and went to turn in the order to the kitchen before grabbing Cara, “Please,  _ please  _ take that table for me, Cara! I’ll work a double shift tomorrow if you do this for me!”

“I’m sorry, Aiko, they asked specifically for you,” She smiled big at me, “Besides, it can’t be that bad, waiting on all those handsome boys.” She started to gush and go on about how cute they all were as I sighed and grabbed a basket of bread.  _ I should just quit and find a new job, I certainly wouldn’t miss all these pervy old men… even though they do pay well.  _ I laughed quietly to myself thinking about all the times an older man gave me way too much money for tips. Walking up to the table of six, no wait, seven Hosts, putting on the best fake smile as I could muster, “Hello and welcome! Can I start you off with any drinks?” I tried not to look at anyone directly, too embarrassed by this whole situation.  _ Wait a minute… how did they even find out where I worked?! God, could this get any worse?  _

The twins started to speak up before the brown-haired host smacked them on their heads, “We’ll all just have waters with lemon, please.”  _ Well, he’s certainly much more polite than the others...  _

“Alrighty, I’ll be right back with your drinks,” I walked away, trying not to trip in my shoes, I wasn’t even sure if I had been breathing the whole time from the way my chest was heaving now. My feet moved on their own accord as I got the drinks, but spaced out,  _ I don’t understand why they won’t just leave me alone! We had a weird moment, but that’s all it was a moment.  _ Heading back to give them their drinks, an older couple was rounding the corner, talking to themselves. I moved to the side, “Thank you fo-”  _ I suppose I should’ve seen this coming.  _ In the middle of their conversation, the woman’s hand went up in exasperation, accidentally tipping the tray and spilling the drinks all over me. 

“Oh, my, I’m so sorry! I did not mean to do that, are you okay?” She looked horrified as her partner called over someone to get me a towel and mop.

“Ma’am, it is quite alright, accidents happen, please don’t worry and have a fine rest of your day.” I smiled politely, trying to reassure her while picking up the tray and some of the bigger pieces of glass, wrapping it in my apron. They left in a hurry, still looking upset, but I wasn’t mad, I was just cold and honestly felt humiliated from all the eyes on me. I turned around to go dispose of the glass and dry off but was stopped by a hand on my shoulder; the very same hand I was trying to avoid. I sighed and smiled, trying to be professional, “Please follow me, sir.” We walked passed another server who had a broom with him, but he stopped for a second and asked if I was alright, noticing my drenched uniform. I nodded towards him in thanks and told him I was just fine before being stopped by Cara near the bar.

“Aiko, I just heard what happened, are you okay?” 

I walked around her while answering, “Of course I’m okay, it’s just some water,” I laughed at her overly concerned face, throwing away the glass.

She let out a sigh of relief, “Listen, I know today has been a long day for you, so why don’t you take the rest of the night off. I’ll have someone else close.”

“What? Cara, please you know I need the money, I can still close,” I lowered my voice and stood closer to her so Takashi couldn’t hear me.

“No, you need to stop taking on everything. Now go on and hang out with your boyfriend,” She smirked at me while handing me a towel and pushing me over to Takashi, who had just been standing there politely the whole time.

I went to say something sarcastic back to her, thankful that the lighting was bad in this area so he couldn’t see my flushed face, but she was already gone.  I let out a huff of annoyance and looked at Takashi, only seeing how close he was to me now. 

“Are you okay?”  _ That’s it! I’m so sick of this, all these little stupid moments where he acts like he hates me and turns around and starts acting as if he cares for me.  _

“Yes, I’m fine. Why does everyone keep asking that?” We started walking back over to his table in silence, to which an array of ‘Are you okay?’s can from the members. I let out a heavy sigh and sat down next to Mitsukuni as they made room, “I’m fine, don’t worry. Also, I’m sorry about yesterday, I ran out and didn’t get the chance to meet everyone.” I looked around at everyone who all had big smiles, and were eerily quiet, besides the twins and Tamaki who were trying to hold in their laughter. “What, did I get something else on my uniform? Wait, speaking of that, how did you guys even find out where I worked?” I scowled at them when they all busted out laughing, even Takashi let out a small smile. 

“Miss Yamaguchi, we haven’t met yet, I’m Kyoya Ootori,” One of the boys from the club yesterday that hadn’t seen spoke up, “We have a proposition for you. If you come work at the Host Club doing small things such as running errands and coordinating events, we will match your salary here,” He was writing things down in a notebook before looking up coyly, “Working there will be less strenuous and you won’t have to worry about getting in trouble with the school for working off-campus.” 

I felt my face pale as they all looked at me, waiting for a response.  _ I mean, he is right, you won’t have to worry about getting in trouble with the school or about old inappropriate men.  _

“Pleaseeee, Ai-chan?” Mitsukuni started to tug on my hand and I sighed, giving in. Tamaki and the twins also joining in on the pleading.

“I don’t know, I have to think about it, even though you basically gave me no choice. I’ll let you know tomorrow,” I looked down at Mitsukuni and smiled at him, watching his face fall. “I’ve got to go soon, but before I leave, let’s have some proper introductions. I’m Aiko Yamaguchi, 3rd year.” Tamaki went first, as dramatic as ever, then Kyoya, the twins (who apologized for the way they acted yesterday), and finally the boy I don’t remember seeing at the club. 

“I’m Haruhi Fujioka, I’m a first-year and go to Ouran as an honor student,” He started off happy, but as he said the last bit, he looked over to Tamaki with a scowl. I wouldn’t put it past me that Tamaki made him say it. 

“Well, good for you Haruhi! Not many people have done, we should get together and study together.” I stood up as he nodded happily, “I’ll be off now, it was nice to meet you all. Does any need a ride? Besides you too, I already know you need one.” I pointed to Takashi and Mitsukuni.

“Would it be okay if I got a ride?”   
“Of course, Haruhi, that’s why I asked. If there are no more takers,” I looked at the rest of the boys who all declined, “All right, let’s roll out!” I grabbed my keys from out of my apron and got up, waiting for Mitsukuni who was talking to Takashi about how much fun it was going to be driving home with me and Haruhi. I walked in front of them with Haruhi, thanking Cara on the way out. We all piled in, Haruhi in front with the cousins in the back. Haruhi and I started talking about school and I told her some of my favorite quiet spots to study at. 

3RD POV

Takashi could still feel his entire body tense, he could not believe she would work somewhere like that! All those old perverts staring at her in her uniform and the disrespectful way they spoke to her, it took everything in him to not get up and teach them some manners. He wondered what happened that led her up to get a job there. Was her father’s business not doing well? And going off of that, why didn’t she have a personal driver, she had this car that he just knew had to be older than them both, so what happened? So many questions ran through his head, but he had to keep his cool. He already upset her twice in under 24 hours, he couldn’t watch her cry again. Just thinking about it made his heart clench. He had to calm down, Mitsukuni was trying to talk to them and he had no idea what he was saying, but he just couldn’t settle his thoughts. He looked at her driving, she was so focused, but at the same time attentive to Haruhi and his cousin. They were laughing and talking about who knows what, but _god_ _he loved the sound of her voice._ He missed the way he used to make her laugh and all the adventures they would go on. She brought him out of his shell almost more than Mitsukuni did, but it all ended too soon, no scratch that, it ended when it shouldn’t have. He was so lost in thought, he hadn’t even noticed she already dropped Haruhi off and was trying to talk to him. 

“Are you okay?” Her face was completely red as she noticed him staring at her through the rearview mirror. 

“Yeah,” He said simply and looked at Mitsukuni who was looking between them with a large grin on his face. She didn’t say anything back, just looked at the road, and continued on talking with Mitsukuni until she pulled up to the entrance of their neighborhood, pulling down the winding roads to his house. 

“Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt you Mitskuni, but what’s your address? I’ll drop you off after Takashi.”

“It’s okay! I stay at his house all the time, right Takashi?” His cousin nodded in response. 

“Are you sure? I don’t mind.” She pulled up in the driveway and parked 

“Mhm! I’m sure!” They all got out, Aiko walking the cousins to the door, but as they got closer, Mitsukuni snatched the keys from his cousin's hand, running in the house and locking the door. “YOU CAN’T COME IN UNTIL YOU WORK THROUGH YOUR PROBLEMS! I DON’T CARE IF IT TAKES ALL NIGHT!” He shouted through a window before shutting it and closing the curtains while Aiko and Takashi stood there, in complete shock. 

AIKO’S POV 

_ Now, after what all has happened these past few days, I thought I’d seen it all…  _ I don’t even know how long we’ve been standing there in disbelief, but part of me just wanted to get in my car and leave him here, but the other part knew I couldn’t do that. “Mitsukuni, please don’t do this right now, I have to get home before my curfew!” It fell upon deaf ears, “Listen, Takashi… Do you have a spare key or anything? I don’t want to leave you out here.” I looked up at him while holding onto my necklace,  _ God, could this possibly get any worse? I should stop saying that, every time I do it gets a million times worse.  _ He shook his head no, looking as sick as I felt.  _ And there it is, ladies and gentlemen, it got worse.  _ I sighed and started walking to my car, “Come on, I have to get home. We can talk there and then I’ll take you home, okay?” He didn’t say anything, but I saw him start to get nervous and his face turned red. Seeing him like that made my face blaze.  _ What could he be nervous about? Well, I mean, he did kiss me yesterday and we cried together this morning…  _ It was a short drive home, but it felt like forever, we didn’t even know what to say to each other now, what was Mitsukuni thinking? If we could barely talk to each other at school or in public, there’s no way anything could come from us talking in private. I pulled up in the driveway and parked in the shadiest part I could, “Takashi,” I turned towards him with my lips in a tight line, “When you get out, shut your door quietly and walk through the shadowy parts down the hill as much as you can.” I turned off the car and took out the keys, handing them to him, “Here’s the key to the basement door, I’ll be down there in a few minutes, okay?” I got out quickly with my bag, trying to pull down my dress as much as possible. 

Walking to the door, I could feel my heart beat faster with every step.  _ Please be busy.  _ That thought repeated through my head up until I got to the door, the head butler opening the door and whispered, “He is not happy.” I felt my heart drop and swallowed hard, nodding thanks to him. Going into his office, I shut the door quietly behind me, “Good evening, Father.” 

“Sit down.” I sat down immediately in one of the chairs in front of his desk, trying to let my head go to another place as he started yelling about how disrespectful I was, but that was all I heard. I learned long ago that I could just let my head wander as long as I looked like I was paying attention. “Having a job is a privilege, if you cannot be responsible, you will lose that privilege. You are dismissed.” I got up and bowed, shutting the door behind me before taking a deep breath and walking into the kitchen. I grabbed two bowls, piling on plenty of rice, veggies, and meat on top for Takashi while getting a smaller portion of rice and veggies for myself before heading downstairs to my room. 

“Hey, I’m sorry that took so long, but I brought you some…” I stopped short when I saw him sitting down by my mother and Oliver’s shrine, a photo album on his lap. I set the bowls down on the coffee table and walked over to him, crouching down to see what he was looking at. It was a picture of just the two of us when we were kids.

“Do you ever wish we could go back in time?” He looked into my eyes with so many mixed emotions, I was completely taken aback. 

I looked back at the shrine, picking up a picture of my mother holding Oliver when he was a baby and started to mess with my necklace, “Every single day.” I put the picture back down gently and stood up, holding my hand out for him. He took my hand and stood up easily, never letting go of my hand, “I brought you some dinner, I know you guys didn’t get to eat at the restaurant.” I let him take the couch, sitting across from him in an armchair, and grabbing my bowl. We ate in silence, lost in our own worlds. 

I finished before him, only having about a fourth of his portion, standing up to rinse out my bowl and get two bottles of water from my mini ‘kitchen’. Setting it down in front of him, he was looking around my room, “You know, you don’t have to be so quiet around me, I know we haven’t talked in a long time, but Mitsukuni wants us to talk… so maybe we should?” When I started talking, he looked back at me with that unreadable face again, I couldn’t help but feel so tiny under his gaze. I wanted to sound stronger than I felt, but the rest of my sentence came out like a question. 

“Why do you live in the basement?” He started to look around again, finishing his food while he did so, getting up to rinse it. 

“After the funeral, I asked my father if I could because it hurt too bad to stay in the same room.” He nodded his head thoughtfully, he probably didn’t even remember that Oliver and I shared a room. 

“Where did you get the scar on your face?”

“I already told you I fell and got road burned.” I got up and went to my dresser, getting out some comfier clothes, “Please excuse me for a moment.” I walked into my bathroom and took a deep breath, changing into some shorts and a regular t-shirt. 

“If you think I didn’t hear what went on upstairs, you’re wrong. How long has been treating you this way?” My breath hitched in my throat, trying to breathe normally. 

“It’s fine, Takashi, he just gets really worried when I come home late.” I didn’t dare to open up the door, I couldn’t face him. When he didn’t say anything, I opened up the door slowly to look at him. He immediately enveloped me in a tight hug, one hand around my waist and the other on my head, holding it to his chest. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat,  _ I hate you, I hate how I can do this and feel so safe with you after everything you’ve done to me.  _

“I didn’t ask why I asked how long.” His tone of voice sent a shiver down my back. It had already been a minute that I hadn’t answered him, us still in the same position. “Please… you can trust me.”

“How? How am I supposed to trust you after everything you’ve done?” 

“Because I’m here now, and I’m never leaving you ever again.” 

I pushed off of him and looked into his eyes, sighing and leaning back into his arms, not wanting him to see how pathetic I look. “Since after the funeral.”  _ The same day you abandoned me.  _

“Is that where this came from?” He took the hand that was holding my head against his chest and held my chin, stroking the scar softly. I simply nodded my head. He leaned down, resting his forehead against mine, “I promise I’m never going to leave you, I won’t let you get hurt again. By me or anyone else.” Tears started to fall down my cheeks, I couldn’t help it anymore. _I haven’t felt this loved in years. I couldn’t allow myself to get attached to anyone, but here we are with him holding me like we never grew apart._ He kissed my forehead and wiped my tears away, his hand around my waist tightening. 


	2. The A-Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And they say  
> She's in the class A-Team  
> She's stuck in her daydream  
> Been this way since eighteen  
> But lately, her face seems  
> Slowly sinking, wasting  
> Crumbling like pastries  
> And they scream  
> The worst things in life come free to her"  
> \- The A-Team, Ed Sheeran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience <3 I'm going to try and keep a steady schedule, but I just started my senior year, so it's a bit chaotic! Thank you to those who enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it.   
> Trigger Warning: Child Abuse at the end

3RD POV

“Do you want me to drive you home?” 

Takashi looked like he was debating on what to say, “It’s late, can I stay here for the night?” His face was completely red at his own question. “It’s okay if you say no-”

Aiko shook her head, “No, I’d like it if you’d stay. I’ll be right back.” She pulled away from him and went upstairs. For the first time, he looked around her room, it was more like a large loft, with a small kitchen area and a bathroom. There was only one large window with some sheer curtains, he walked over to it and pulled down the blinds and made sure the door to the outside was locked.  _ She clearly doesn’t like to sleep in the dark, _ he thought to himself as he counted two large light fixtures, three strings of lights, and other mini light fixtures around the room. He started to walk around, she had an interesting taste, it seemed like all of the furniture was mix-matched, but it all fit together. He laughed softly, there was stuff that was organized like her desk, but then her nightstand was a complete wreck with various things sprawled on it. There were fresh flowers, plants, and books in various parts of the room, nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage girl. But then some things seemed very out of place. Like the heavy metal bat she kept by her bed, what looked like perfume, but he immediately recognized it as pepper spray on the nightstand, and then there were the bells she kept on the door handle to the upstairs. It greatly concerned him. Then there was the fact that there was nothing from her childhood in here besides the pictures in the photo albums. 

Meanwhile upstairs, Aiko was talking to the main butler, “Hey, not in a weird way, but can I please borrow a pair of your pajamas? I will explain later,” She said in a whisper, she never knew who she could trust, but she could always go to Jackson. He was an older man that came over from England to work there at her grandfather’s request. He reminded her of Cara with how easily concerned he got for her. He nodded with a look on his face before going off to fetch them, back within the minute. “Thank you so much, I promise I’ll explain tomorrow!” She rushed down the stairs, shutting the door as quiet as possible. 

Takashi turned towards her when she reached the bottom of the stairs, a questioning look on his face, “What are the bells for?”

She handed him the clothes, “Here these are for you, they should be about your size. And I’m not allowed to lock my door, so I put the bells there so I could hear if someone comes down.” She walked away from him, the last part getting quieter with each word as she tried to make herself look busy. He stared at her for a moment before turning to go change in the bathroom. It’s completely normal to want to know if someone is coming into your space or not, but if it’s the staff wouldn’t they just announce themselves? He couldn’t wrap his head around it, but let it go if she wanted to tell him she would. 

He walked back out in the baggy clothes, they were at least a size too big, but he was grateful he didn’t have to sleep in his uniform. She looked up at him when he came out and let out a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand, “I’m sorry, it’s- it’s just you look like when we were kids and your mom put you into clothes that were too big for you.” He blushed from how beautiful it was and stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do. He didn’t want to make her any more uncomfortable than she probably already was. She picked up the look on his face and patted the spot on the king-sized bed next to her, “You can come sit next to me and watch tv or something, but I’ve got to work on my homework.” She looked back down to continue working on what looked like math. 

“You should rest, it’s late,” With his long legs, it was almost like he was gliding over to the bed, sitting down next to her. 

“That’s not how you keep straight A’s, Morinozuka,” She said with a teasing voice, not looking up to him as she handed him the remote. 

He took it from her but didn’t turn it on. Instead, he got up and picked up a few photo albums, simply waiting for her quietly so he didn’t distract her. But what he didn’t know is that she couldn’t keep herself from looking over at him, she couldn’t believe they were together right now, and on her bed for god’s sake! She started to rush, trying to finish it as fast as possible, good thing it wasn’t a lot, it only took her 15 minutes. Getting up, she put away her school supplies and turned off the big lights, keeping all the hanging lights on so the room was still dimly lit. 

Takashi stared at her the whole time, she was so graceful, she has changed so much. She used to be bubbly and outgoing like his cousin. He looked over her body as she moved around the room, she had scars on her legs he recognized from when they were younger, but noticed some new ones like the one on her face. Anger started to swell in his chest, no wonder that old bastard threatened his and Mitsukuni’s family to get him to stop being friends with Aiko. So no one would notice things like that. He hurt her so much by leaving, and he knew it. She was getting hurt for years with no one to go to, no one to stand up for her. He set the pictures aside, walking over to her and hugged her from behind, she jumped in his arms before letting her shoulders relax. “I’m sorry, can we start over?” She leaned into him fully and nodded. He was genuinely shocked, after all the pain he caused, she said yes without question. She moved his arms and turned around, smiling at him while grabbing his hand. “Before we do, I have to tell you something.” 

Some time passed by, though neither of them could tell how much. They sat on opposite sides of the bed, Aiko trying to process everything, and Takashi wanting to hold her, to tell her that everything would be okay. He told her about the day after her family’s funeral, he and Mitsukuni came over to be with her. But when her father answered the door, he told them it would be in their best interest to leave Aiko alone so she could grieve. They understood and left, coming back later that week only for him to tell them that if they didn’t stop trying to see her, bad things would happen. And of course, them being kids, they listened. Even when they got home, both of their parents had a sit down with them to tell them they weren’t allowed to see her or talk to her at school. 

It was silent for who knows how long before Aiko spoke up, “Well, that’s all over now, right? We’re older and we’re friends now, so that’s that!” She stood up, “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to change into some warmer clothes.” She was still smiling, but Takashi could see how she shook, her cheeks growing pinker by the second. After she grabbed her clothes from the closet and went to the bathroom. He picked up the remote and looked for something to watch, wondering what she enjoyed, finally just putting on a movie she watched recently. 

“I didn’t know you spoke English,” She came out wearing an oversized sweatshirt with leggings and fluffy socks. Her face was still red, she had been crying and his heart ached for her, but at the same time, he couldn’t get over how cute she looked. Aiko started to feel insecure under his gaze, moving to the kitchen area to make some tea.

“I don’t, but I wasn’t sure what you wanted to watch.” Takashi ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm himself. She came back over with two cups of tea, handing him one before grabbing the remote and sitting down next to him. 

“Aren’t you taking English this year though? If you’d like, I’ll help you study later,” She put the captions on for him and took a sip of her tea. Moments went by before she spoke up again, “We have a house like that in England.” She had a soft smile on her face, remembering how they used to go all the time. She and Oliver would swim in the lake, climb trees, and get into all sorts of mischief. Takashi couldn’t help but stare, and when she looked at him, he didn’t look away. Aiko put her cup down before moving to lay down, resting her head on his chest. She smiled softly when his arm immediately wrapped around her shoulders, his heartbeat relaxing her immensely. 

It felt so nice to hold her in his arms, he wished they could stay this way forever. He wished he could be like the guy in the movie who could go back in time. He’d never leave Aiko’s side and wouldn’t 

Aiko woke up, feeling extremely well-rested. She rolled over, expecting to see Takashi sound asleep next to her, but instead saw an empty space. “Takashi?” Her voice seemed to echo in the silent room as she moved to sit up and look around the room, fearing the worst. She let out a heavy sigh when she saw his feet resting on the armrest of the couch. Rubbing her eyes, she got up and looked at her clock,  _ 6:04, not too bad.  _ She tiptoed around the room, grabbing her clothes for the day before heading to the bathroom. Rushing a little faster than normal so Takashi would have time to get ready, she couldn’t help but think about the night before. How he held her, how they kissed. What were they now after all that? Coming out of the bathroom completely ready, finishing within 25 minutes. 

She made sure her bun was nice and neat while walking over to the sleeping giant. Shaking his shoulder gently, she spoke in a hushed tone, “Takashi, it’s time to wake up, we have school.” He hummed in his half awake, half asleep limbo, but didn’t open up his eyes. “Come on, we still have to pick up Mitsukuni, remember?” He opened up his eyes slowly, reaching up and pulling her down on top of him. 

“Good morning, Aiko.” 

Aiko could swear that her heart jumped out of her chest completely, not even sure if she could feel it. His morning voice sent shivers down her spine and she felt something deep within her she hadn’t felt before. Takashi chuckled at her squeak when he pulled her against him. He loved how she felt so soft against him, he wished he could stay there all day just like that. His arms loosened and she slowly got up, “I put everything you need for a shower on the counter, please try to hurry, okay?” Her voice came out stern, but she was glad the room was fairly dark so he couldn’t see her red face. 

He stood up and stretched, making his way towards her, “Thank you.” He leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the head.  _ Time for a cold shower _ , he thought to himself with his growing problem.

Taking in a deep breath, Aiko turned around to go making breakfast. It only took a few minutes to get his plate on the table and make a pot of coffee, a tumbler on the counter next to it for him. She was sipping her coffee at her desk while writing a few last-minute notes.  _ Don’t Forget: 1. Call Cara during lunch to tell her you’re quitting. 2. Go groce-  _

“Are you not going to eat?” 

Aiko jumped five feet high in her seat, almost spilling my coffee all over herself, “God, you gave me a heart attack!” She stood up to put her notebook in her bag and walked over to him, “Maybe we should get you a bell.” She laughed and straightened his messy shirt. She looked up at his completely stoic face and her smiling falling, “I was just joking, Takashi, I’m sorry.” 

“You didn’t answer my question.” He lifted his hand to place on her cheek but paused when she flinched away out of reflex. He had a pained look on his face from her reaction, but let it fall away when he held her cheek and she leaned into it. She looked up at him, standing up on her tiptoes to press her lips against his as he leaned down to make it easier for her, his other hand resting on her waist. “I noticed you didn’t eat yesterday morning or during lunch, you only ate that small bowl of rice last night.” 

Aiko smiled up at him, “You're worried about literally nothing, sometimes when I get overwhelmed I can’t eat anything or it’ll make me sick.” She started to walk away to get more coffee when he grabbed her hand. 

“Please eat something before we go.” He let go and went to go eat his, definitely cold by now, eggs. 

She let out a heavy sigh, “If I eat this apple, will you get off my back?” He nodded with a small smile as he finished up his breakfast. “Oh, I made coffee if you’d like some, the sugar is right there and the creamer is in the fridge.” Aiko got a small knife and sat down at the table, cutting her apple into slices. She ate hurriedly, glancing at the clock the whole time and when she finished she grabbed her keys and started to load the car with both their stuff, happy to see the limo gone. She came back into the room to see him flopped on the bed, walking over to him “Are you okay, Takashi?” 

“I’m still tired.” He sat up, pulling her down onto his lap and putting his face in the crook of her neck. 

“Please don’t do that, Takashi,” She stood up with a blush on her face and laughed bitterly, “I don’t want to crush you.” 

“Don’t say that,” He was suddenly very close to her, too close for her comfort, “You're so beautiful, Aiko, I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.”

It didn’t make her uncomfortable, in fact, she might’ve liked it a lot if she wasn’t her size. 

“It’s okay, let’s just go.”

The drive to his house was silent, but the good kind of silence where they could both be in our thoughts. The only thing they could think about was each other, what the other was thinking about and how their relationship has drastically changed. Parking in front of his house, Aiko spoke up, “Can we talk later today about what you told me last night?” Takashi nodded his head and went out to meet Mitsukuni who was standing by the door with his stuffed bunny close to his chest. They talked for a second before Mitsukuni ran to the car, jumping in and immediately wrapping his arms around Aiko. 

“Ai-chan! I’m so glad you and Takashi made up!! Does this mean we can all be friends again?” 

“Good morning, Mitsukuni! And of course, we can,” She brought her arms up to squeeze his, “Now, are we ready to head to school?” Takashi slid in the car next to his cousin and they were off. 

Mitsukuni and Aiko talked the whole time about ‘adventures’ they should go on, Takashi thought it was so cute how she referred to them hanging out as such. She had grown up, she was so different from when they were kids, but she was still Aiko. Though he’d never be able to fully understand what she’s gone through and is still going through, he wants to help her in any way he could. Takashi wished he could do something about her situation, he’d have to talk to the other hosts and her about something they could do to get her out. It made his blood boil knowing he was in the same house as that monster, but he did nothing. Especially when he heard the shouting. He couldn’t quite make out what was said, but he heard the venom in his voice. Takashi started to think back, he doesn’t even really remember seeing her dad a lot in their childhood. He wanted to whisk her away from that house and started to devise a plan. 

“You okay back there, Takashi? You’re awful quiet,” Aiko turned around, staring at him curiously while Mitsukuni giggled. He was so lost in thought he hadn’t even noticed they were already at the school. 

“Takashi’s always been quiet! Well ever since middle school that is,” He sounded almost sly when he said the last bit. Takashi stayed quiet, but his red face proved it to be true.

“I see, well let’s be off then,” She placed a cheerful smile on her face, but Takashi could see through that. It seemed like they were one of the few people there, the sun had barely begun to rise. 

AIKO’S POV 

I could still feel a tension between us, I didn’t know how to act around them, especially Takashi. I feel like I’ve been so weird around him, the moments we’ve had together. And oh, not to mention the fact he slept over last night! I just feel so stupid and confused. Especially after what he told me last night about my father. I don’t know how to feel. It’s not like my father is a terrible person, he’s just stressed and everything has been so much harder since mom and Ollie died. He probably thought that’s what was best for me, so I could have time to grieve their passing.  _ I wish I could just crawl into a hole and die. All I've done is make bad decisions ever since Takashi _ … My breath felt like it was caught in my throat.  _ What am I doing?! I’ve seen him for three days now and all I’ve done is make absolutely  _ terrible  _ decisions. I mean for god’s sake he slept over last night!  _

“Are you okay, Ai-chan?” I jumped when Mitsukuni patted my head from Takashi’s shoulders. And that’s when I finally noticed it. All the staring, down the entire corridor all the girls were staring at us, glaring daggers at me. All whispering and snickering. I tried to keep my face straight, but god I wish I could just disappear right now. 

“I’m fine, Mitsukuni, I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” I smiled up at him politely, the stares got worse. I decided to just stay quiet, only giving small nods to Mitsukuni who was rambling on about something, but that only made the whispers get louder.  _ Just breathe, you’re almost there. It’ll all be okay once you get to class.  _ Newsflash, it wasn’t. Takashi and Mitsukuni moved seats so they could be next to me, in not just one class, but every class. And in every class, it felt like I was being stared at.  _ Just how big is that fan base of theirs? I mean, this is just getting ridiculous at this point.  _

By the time lunch rolled around, I went outside to one of the gardens to get some peace and quiet. I sat underneath a shady tree and pulled out some homework. Nearly finishing by the time the bell rang, I started packing up when someone snatched the papers from my hand. “Hey there, Yamaguchi! What’re you working on?” Three girls from one of my classes were all standing around me, with who I assumed was the leader of the group right in front of me.

“Just the calculus homework, can I please have it back?” I tried to reach for it, but she pulled her hand back and clicked her tongue.

“So rude! Yamaguchi, I bet you couldn’t even tell us our names right now. You’re so stuck up and in your own world.” They all started laughing when she spoke up again, “We saw you with Mori-kun today, walking in together and sitting next to him. What were you guys up to that warrants all that attention? Did something happen between you two?” By the time she got to the end of her monologue, she had me backed up against the tree with a sly look on her face. I didn’t even know what to say, I mean, what could I say? I couldn’t even think straight, much less answer her. I tightened my hand around my bag, feeling my face grow redder by the second, “Aw, are you going to cry? I think we hurt her feelings! Serves you right, all these years you’ve acted like you’re better than everyone else. But we all know, things haven’t been the same since Mommy died.” They all kept laughing as I stood there in disbelief,  _ Say something! What am I supposed to say?  _ I saw their mouths moving, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I don’t know when they left, I don’t know how long I was standing there, everything felt like it was collapsing around me. 

“Hey, are you okay? The bell already rang.” A girl jogged over and picked up my homework, which was now torn. “What happened? Are you alright?” She put a gentle hand on my shoulder, concerned pooling in her eyes. 

“Ah, yeah, I’m sorry I just got frustrated and tore it.” I laughed dryly before clearing my throat and taking it from her, shoving it into my bag. “I’m Yamaguchi Aiko.”

“Reina Drosià, we should probably get going now.” We started to speed walk to the building, saying our goodbyes when we had to go separate ways. I started to speed walk and fix my appearance at the same time.  _ What time is it? Please for the love of god don’t let it be too late.  _ Getting there in no time, I made sure my bun was still nice and neat, taking a deep breath as I walked through the door. 

“You’re late, Ms. Yamaguchi.” My teacher didn’t even miss a beat as I shut the door quietly, not looking up from his paperwork. “Do you have a late pass?” 

“No, sir, I was at the clinic. I apologize, it will not happen again.” He dismissed me with a wave of his hand and I took a seat at a desk in the front of the room, away from Takashi and Mitsukuni. I could practically feel their eyes burning holes into the back of my head. And not just their stares, but the sound of snickering similar to the ones from those girls. 

The rest of the day felt rushed, but slow at the same time. I kept to myself, trying my best to avoid the cousins. It hurt to do this to Mitsukuni, but I had to or else it would cause unnecessary drama with the Host Club customers. I’d glance at them every now and again, trying to make sure I didn’t catch their eyes. Seeing his sad face when I didn’t sit next to him just broke my heart. By the time the end of classes rolled around, the whispers died down and it felt easier to breathe. I’ve been trying to think of an accuse to tell Mitsukuni and Takashi, I feel bad for avoiding them, but I don’t even know how to explain to them why I did. I mean, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal, it was only for half of a day. I was already packed up and ready to go when the bell rang, being one of the first people out of the room.

“Aiko-chan! Are you feeling better now?” Mitsukuni ran up to me but didn’t jump to hug me like he has been, Takashi following close behind. 

“I’m alright, I’m sorry for worrying you,” I ruffled his hair, “Are you ready to go to the Host Club now?” His face lit up as he jumped up to hug me, even Takashi sported a small smile.

“You’re going to work with us?! Yay, I can’t wait to tell everyone!” He ran off with a cloud of dust behind him. Takashi bent down and grabbed his discarded bag.

“He’s the exact same as when we were kids,” I laughed as we headed down the hall, “I’m glad he’s still his happy self.” We walked in silence the whole way there, he reached in front of me to open the door, but I grabbed his arm to stop him. “I’m sorry for avoiding you guys earlier, I wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to worry and distract you guys.” 

“I bet it’s because you’ve barely eaten today. You’ve gotta do better.” He didn’t give me a chance to answer as he pushed open the door, heading straight for his cousin.  _ It only took him four words to make me feel the way I do.  _ I felt myself start to tremble, but pushed it down, walking over to Kyoya to discuss me working here. The three stooges ran up to me, shouting how excited they were that I was going to be working with them and asking random questions.

“Shouldn’t you three be helping Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai set up for today’s activities? Leave Miss Yamaguchi alone so we can discuss her working here.” They walked off, grumbling their grievances. I shook my head and held in a laugh, the way they all interacted with each other was so funny. 

“You seem to be keeping this whole club afloat, Kyoya.” I sat down on the couch facing him, pulling out my planner, “So, what can I do to help you and take off some of the pressure.” His eyebrows raised, almost surprised that I would ask him such a question. It must be hard for him, doing most of the work for the club.

It only took us about five minutes to discuss everything I’d be doing. It was all small, domestic jobs; I would run errands, help clean, and set up. He showed me the kitchen and where all the supplies are. “We have sweets sent in, so all you’ll have to worry about is ordering them and making them look presentable.” He handed me a slip of paper with an outrageously large number.

“ _ This  _ is your budget? Kyoya, if you’d like I can make the sweets instead for a fourth of the price. It’ll be more time consuming, but I don’t mind and you’ll save much more money. I could probably fit everything I’d need to get within the grocery budget.” 

His brows furrowed slightly as he started to calculate everything before nodded, “Alright, we can do that then, if you’re sure you don’t mind.” 

He started to walk out after we concluded everything, “Hey, thank you for the job, Kyoya, it means a lot.”

Smirking, he pushed the door open, “Thank Mori-senpai, it was his idea.” And with that, he left me with my thoughts, more confused than ever.  _ I still don’t understand why they’re doing all this. What could Takashi possibly have to gain with my being in his life again?  _ I sighed and walked over to the enormous fridge, pulling out the sweets they already bought for today. They all looked simple enough to recreate,  _ Rich people need to learn to start budgeting, they’ll stay rich longer.  _ I laughed to myself as I plated everything.  _ Maybe being here could be better for me, what harm could it cause.  _ Takashi’s face flashed in my mind, _ We have separate jobs, I doubt I’ll have to see him too much.  _ My thoughts ran rapid, Takashi being the main focus of all of them before I realized I was done preparing everything. I walked out with two trays of sweets in my hands and just about dropped them, “What the hell?” There was a literal jungle in the Host Club! How in the absolute  _ hell _ did they do this? I’ve been in the kitchen for 15 minutes, how did they turn a music room into this?! 

All the hosts, except for Haruhi who has yet to show, turned to look at me before they all started cackling, minus Takashi and Kyoya of course. After they all had a good laugh, they returned to their conversations, leaving me confused as usual. I walked over to where Mitsukuni and Takashi were sitting, just now noticing their apparel. They were shirtless with long skirts you’d see people wear in the tropics.  _ I guess that’s where we are supposed to be…  _ Mitsukuni started to giggle and ramble about the room, telling me about how it was set up to look like Bali as I set down plates of different sweets on the table’s tray. I nodded to him every few seconds, but couldn’t stop glancing over at Takashi. I tried to hide my blush by looking over at his cousin, “So, is it normal for you guys to deck out the club room like this?” 

“Sometimes! We usually don’t do things this extravagant all the time, but it’s so much fun when we do!” He said with a mouthful of strawberry cake, I’d have to make a note to make extra for him. 

“I see, well I’ll be back with your tea in a few minutes, let me know if you need anything.” Before I could head over to Tamaki’s station, the twins popped up and an outfit similar to the rest. 

“We had this especially made for you,”

“So we could all match!” 

“That’s very sweet of you both, but I’ll have to politely decline. I think it’d be better if I just wore my uniform.” I laughed awkwardly and tried to walk away when Kyoya piped in. 

“If you’re going to work here, you’ll have to wear a uniform that matches ours just like any other job.” 

“Yes! When in Rome, do as the Romans do!” 

One twin pushed me while the other took the tray from my hand and shoved the dress towards me, “Now go change!”

I sighed before rushing off to one of the storage rooms. After putting the dress on, I started to tug on some parts that hugged my body too tightly, trying to make it less fitting. It was a white dress that hugged close to my chest, the forest colored skirt flowing out in the slightest bit so as to not squeeze around my stomach too much. I slipped on a gold necklace and secured a flower crown on my head before coming out. 

A few customers had already started to clamor in, I sped into the kitchen, balancing the rest of the trays at once with grace. Kyoya nodded to me in thanks, Tamaki was too busy with his customers to even notice, and by the time I got to the twins.. they were putting on what they called the “Brotherly Love” act. I set everything down quickly and quietly, walking away before they both grabbed me, holding me in various spots. 

“Ladies, we’d like to introduce you,”

“To the very first maid of the Host Club.” They both had sly looked on their faces, waiting for my response. 

_ Maid… is that what they’re going to start calling me? Jeez, they couldn’t come up with any other name?  _ I bowed deeply, “Hello, my name is Yamaguchi Aiko, if you ladies need anything, please do not hesitate to ask.” I smiled up at them and turned on my heel before making rounds around the room to make sure everyone was doing okay.  _ I guess that was them trying to get a rise out of me, they’ll have to try harder than that.  _ I grinned to myself before seeing Haruhi, going back into the kitchen to get his tray. When I came to set it down, he was pretty preoccupied with a girl who was stroking his cheek gently, claiming that he was her new favorite host.  _ I don’t think I’ll ever understand the way this club works _ . Setting it down quickly after noticing Mitsukuni calling me over, I started to head over there before someone grabbed my wrist. It was the girl from earlier with her posee, all at Tamaki’s section. My stomach dropped and I could feel my face lose its color, but I put on my best smile, “How can I help you, ladies?”

They all started laughing before she spoke up, “We’d like some coffee, it seems you failed to bring it out earlier.” Her grip on my wrist got tighter with each word as I tried to look for Tamaki as discreetly as I could.

“I’m so sorry, I will be right out with it in one moment.” I pulled my wrist from her hand and bowed before rushing off to see what Mitsukuni needed, hearing their snickers and whispers grow. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here, what can I get you?” 

“I just wanted to give you this!” He stood up on his chair and put a necklace of red flowers around my neck, “See look, now you match me and Takashi!” I laughed lightly and felt myself become comfortable again. 

I glanced at Takashi who had a smile himself, “I’ll be back with more strawberry cake for you. Do you ladies need anything?” They all chorused a no, fawning over how polite I was and how cute the two boys were. 

_ Back into the fire, I go _ . Sighing I hurried into the kitchen, boiling the water and prepping the instant coffee Kyoya had shown me earlier. Setting everything nicely on the tray I rushed back out, carefully maneuvering around the trees and other decor. “I’m sorry for the wait, ladies,” I placed the tray down on the table so they could fix it how they liked. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” The main girl opened up her mouth, but before she could get anything out Tamaki was up and hugging me, spinning me around a bit as I tried to push him off.

He was gushing about how cute I looked in my outfit and how cute I sounded, but I couldn’t hear much because of how loud my heartbeat pounded, still trying to push him off. He finally let go, but not because he wanted to, he was pushed off by Tamaki who now had his hand on my shoulder, towering over us both. My face was completely flushed as I looked over at the girls, hearing Tamaki whine, but I couldn’t tell what he was saying. “Please excuse me,” I bowed and quickly headed back for the kitchen, my chest heaving.  _ The looks on their faces, I wish I hadn’t even seen them. They looked like they wished I was dead.  _ I spent most of the time in the kitchen for the remainder of the club, fixing drinks, prepping for tomorrow, and cleaning up as I went. My thoughts never stopped racing and the looks never stopped, but I put my best face on to try to stay professional.  _ Why does this feel so much worse than working at a restaurant with perverted old men?  _

After all the customers had left, I excused myself to go change. I carefully put my necklace back on and held it tightly.  _ I look just like you, but I’m nothing like you. You would never act so stupid under pressure.  _ I straightened my posture and went back in, seeing some of the school’s ground men working on dismantling today’s theme.  _ So that’s how they do it so fast.  _ I went around to pick up the discarded dishes, trying to ignore the aching pit in my stomach. 

“You did well today, thank you for your hard work.” Kyoya was typing away on his computer before glancing up at me and pushing up his glasses, “Those girls have been asked not to return; We do not condone bullying and harassment in this club.” 

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” I laughed dryly and continued picking up the cups, “But thank you for the compliment.” 

“Oh, our poor little maid! Being so brave in the face of adversaries!” Tamaki started spinning me around again, gushing about the situation.  _ Not this again.  _

“Would you guys quit it? I’m sure she’s had a stressful enough day.” Haruhi tugged him off by his ear before he ran off to a corner, crying about how mean he was and how he stole his customer. I smiled at him in thanks and continued picking up. 

_ What a crazy bunch of weirdos, maybe it won’t be so bad here. At least now I don’t have to worry about getting in trouble for having a job off-campus. Now all I have to do is figure out how to explain this to my father.  _ I sighed deeply and rolled up my sleeves to start washing everything.  _ All these fancy things and they couldn’t have bought a dishwasher?  _ Laughing a bit I started to hum a bit, getting lost in thought.  _ I need to talk to Takashi again, everything is so different and weird. I went from slapping him to having him spend the night…  _

“How’s your wrist?” 

“GOD! You gave me a heart attack,” I feel like I must’ve jumped six feet in the air and let my shoulders hang down, taking a deep breath before laughing, “Maybe we should revisit getting you a bell.” I didn’t turn to look at him but heard him take heavy steps next to me, staring at me intently. “I’m fine, Takashi, you guys all worry too much.” I finished washing everything and began drying the dishes. 

“Here, let me,” He took the porcelain from me, our hands grazing ever so slightly, “You have a bruise.”

“You know I bruise easily,” I got another rag and started to help him, “Remember that time we were play fighting and all you did was basically pat my arm and I had a red mark for days.” I smiled fondly from the memory and saw his lips twitch up, “Even though you were really strong, it didn’t even hurt. That reminds me, are you still doing kendo?” We chatted for the remainder of the time it took us to finish up everything. He was so passionate about kendo, telling me things about it I didn’t understand, but I enjoyed hearing his soothing voice. 

Mitsukuni came in not too long after asking for more cake and saying Tamaki wanted some ramen before prancing back out. Takashi left after him with some cake while I brought out two bowls of ramen, one for myself and the other for Tamaki who was sulking, “Is everything okay?” 

“Finally someone who cares about me,” He jumped up and grabbed my shoulders, “No, everything is not alright! Haruhi took Princess Kasuga away from me!” 

“Oh, well if that’s it then please excuse me,” I placed his bowl down and turned on my heel, taking a spot next to Mitsukuni and Haruhi while the twins cackled like hyenas. 

Everything was  _ almost  _ quiet for a solid minute, the only noise was Tamaki noising slurping up his noodles and Kyoya’s tapping keys. The twins spoke up, annoyance laced in their voices, “Hey boss, why don’t you stop eating that commoner’s ramen and come over here to help us with the party planning.”

“Does it really bother you that Princess Kasuga has taken a liking to Haruhi?” 

“Party?” I muttered to no one in particular as they all were going on about something called the ‘Host Hopping Disease’.

“Oh, yeah! You were working earlier when we were talking about it, the Host Club is having a formal party next week!” I handed Mitsukuni a napkin as he spoke through a mouthful of cake.

“I see, how can I help?”

I looked over to Kyoya, but before he could get a word out, Tamaki pointed straight at Haruhi and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Haruhi, it’s time you started dressing like a girl! I don’t understand how you can be so popular with the ladies when you yourself are a lady!” He continued on his tangent, going as far as bringing out an old picture of Haruhi with long hair. 

I turned to Haruhi in confusion, looking at him, or her, up and down. “Wait a second… you’re a girl?” It immediately became dead silent in the room to the point you could hear a pin drop. 

“Well, technically yeah, but I don’t really think it matters what’s on the outside.” 

“Ah, I see, so what pronouns would you like me to use?” Everyone looked at me in shock.  _ Had no one bothered to ask that yet? Jeez, what year are we in?  _

“I’m fine with whatever, but I prefer they/them.” They finished with a smile, “Thanks for asking.”

I smiled back and went back to eating my ramen, listening to the chaos around me. Haruhi explaining why they cut their hair short, a weird exchange between Tamaki and Kyoya, with Tamaki referring to him as ‘Momma’, and in the end, Tamaki blackmailing Haruhi into going to the dance. I patted their back in sympathy before grabbing my stuff, “Alright, I’m heading out now, anyone who wants a ride is welcome to come.” Haruhi practically sprinted to the door as the cousins followed me out. 

“You know, I can pay you gas money, I feel bad for dragging you out of the way.”

“Oh hush, Haruhi, it’s really no big deal. Besides, you’ve already got that debt to pay.” We laughed and chatted about our day while Mitsukuni and Takashi talked amongst themselves until we dropped Haruhi off. 

“So, Mitsukuni, I heard all of your clients calling you Honey, is that what you go by?” 

“Yep! It sounds cuter that way, don’t you think?” He unbuckled and crawled into the passenger seat.

“Please buckle up,” I held the steering wheel tighter and slowed a tad bit, waiting for him to do as I said before going the speed limit. “I do, would you mind if I called you that from now on?” 

“I’d like that very much!” He grinned and started to go on about his day, talking a mile a minute. We reached the Morinozuka mansion in no time, all of us filing out as I walked them to the door. “Thank you for the ride, Ai-chan!” Honey jumped up and wrapped his arms around my neck, my arms going to hold him so he wouldn’t fall.

“Yeah, thank you,” Takashi’s arm went around my waist and when I went to look up at him, he rested his forehead against mine, setting my face ablaze. 

We pulled away after a short moment,  _ too short honestly _ , “It’s no problem, and hey, call me in the morning when you’re ready for me to pick you up.” I pulled out my phone to give them my number before saying our goodbyes. I sped a little faster than normal on the way home but making sure I was aware of my surroundings. Grinning when I didn’t see my father’s limo in the driveway, I ran to my room and changed before heading back up. 

“Edward!” I walked up to the head butler, who dismissed the maid he was talking to.

“Miss Aiko, how was your day?” He had a large smile on his face as we walked to the kitchen, “The look on your face says you have a lot to tell me.” 

I nodded eagerly, “Before we get to that, could you help me make some cakes?” He looked at me confused before starting to get out all the ingredients. We talked for what felt like hours, and it probably had been hours going by how many sweets we made. 

Edward’s face twisted, like he was trying to process and think of what to say, “Miss Aiko, you know I’m happy for you having new friends and obeying school rules,” He gave me a pointed look, “But I don’t want you to get hurt again by those boys. Are you sure you want to go through with all this?” He stopped frosting a cake and looked at me in all seriousness.

“I’m sure, we talked last night and he was so genuine,” I smiled and hummed dreamily, a blush rising to my face. 

“And that’s another thing, Miss Aiko, having young men in your chambers at night is entirely inappropriate!” Edward lowered his voice just above a whisper, “Besides, you don’t know what could happen if your father found out, especially now that you know that he’s the one who plotted the separation. You cannot trust all of the staff.” 

“I’m sure he only did it so I had time to grieve,” I stopped and turned to him, “You make him out to be a monster.” I finished decorating the cakes and slid them into the fridge.

“A father is not supposed to hit their child,” He pulled me into a tight hug, “You know, you don’t have to hold everything in. This is the first time I’ve seen you this happy in months. Tell him you’ve joined a committee that organizes the school’s functions, not the Host Club.” I didn’t say anything, there was nothing to say. Edward has been more of a father to me than my own had been, even when Mother was alive. “You don’t have to keep everything to yourself, you’ve got me and now you’ve got a bunch of new friends who enjoy spending time with you and stick up for you,” 

“Edward, I expect to be greeted at the door,” My father pushed through the doors and Edward immediately let go, bowing respectfully, “What is this? Feelings hour?” He snickered and left. 

“You’ll have to excuse me, Miss Aiko.” He looked at me apologetically before taking his leave. My shoulders fell as I exhaled a large breath, putting away everything and heading back to my room until I was called back up for dinner. 

3RD POV 

Takashi bent down to grab his phone as soon as he heard it ding, his face lighting up when he saw it was Aiko. Mitsukuni flew over him with a yell, intending to grab him from behind but missed when he bent down. “Takashi, what was that for?” He whined as he got up and walked over to his cousin.

“It’s Aiko,” His features seemed to deepen in his face, “She’s asking for Kyoya’s number.” He could feel his stomach start to ache, what could she want his number for?

“Oh yeah! He didn’t get to tell her what she needed to get to prepare for the party,” Mitsukuni jumped on his shoulders, “Don’t worry, Takashi, Aiko doesn’t like Kyo-chan like that!” He patted his back before climbing off and popping his knuckles, “Now, let’s get back to sparing!” Takashi nodded his head and sighed, feeling his jealousy slip away. Mitsukuni could tell this was bothering him by the way he was fighting, it felt more aggressive than usual. 

Aiko was working on a list of things Kyoya wanted her to get, trying to find deals to save him some money. She figured he must be stressed with running everything and with how big the budget is, they must spend way more than he’d like. Checking the clock, she headed upstairs to talk to her father before dinner. 

She took a deep breath before knocking on the door, pushing it open after hearing a gruff ‘come in’, “Good afternoon, father, is this a good time to discuss some things?” 

“Yes, but before you sit, could you?” He motioned over to his empty cup to which she refilled with coffee dutifully before taking a seat in front of him. “Now, what would you like to discuss?” 

“Today, I joined a committee at school that helps plan events. The head of the committee gives me a large budget and whatever money I save, I’m allowed to keep. They also pay me if I do extra work at the events.” Aiko kept her posture straight but fidgeted her fingers out of his sight. 

“I see, well good for you, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work outside of school, then I think this will be very good for you.” 

“W-well you see, I had to quit my job today because my counselor contacted me today and warned me that I would be penalized if I kept working off-campus.” It was then when her father’s eyes finally met hers. Aiko felt frozen in place from his gaze and so badly wished she had never said anything. 

“I see,” He shifted in his seat and put down his papers, never taking his eyes off her, “Then I’ll be taking your keys, go fetch them.” His fingers wrapped together and rested his chin upon them. 

“But, father, why? I don’t understand, I’m still going to be paying for it with what I earn from the school.” Aiko physically started to shake, grabbing the arms of the chair tightly.

“The rules were you get to have a car as long as you have a job to pay for it and seeing as how you’re jobless, I will be taking the keys. I will not tell you twice, Aiko.” 

She stood up abruptly, the chair making an awful sound behind her, “No, I bought the car and I will still be paying for it.” Her voice grew louder with each word, anger bubbly in her chest.

Within seconds, he was towering over her, “Ungrateful child,” His hand collided with her cheek, a loud smack ringing so loudly she thought the whole house heard it, but she never looked away, their glares only intensifying. “Get out of my sight.” He grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her to the door and shoving her out, the door slamming loud enough to deafen her. 

Edward came to Aiko with an ice pack within moments, pressing it gently to her cheek, to which she pushed away, “I’m fine.” Aiko went down to her room, locking the door behind her, not coming back up for the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first time writing fanfiction! I will try to update weekly and constructive criticism is very much welcomed :)  
> I hope you enjoy <3


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